# 1981 Individual Speedway World Championship

The 1981 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 36th edition of the official Motorcycle speedway World Championship to determine the world champion rider.
It was also the last of a record 26 times that London's world famous Wembley Stadium hosted the World Final. It also marked the final time that the stadium would be used for any speedway. In future years when the final was held in England, it would be held at the Odsal Stadium in Bradford until the advent of the Speedway Grand Prix series in 1995. The 1981 Final was held before a reported crowd of 92,500, just shy of the Wembley record of 95,000 set at the 1938 World Final.
Bruce Penhall became the first American to win the World Championship since Jack Milne in 1937. As a past World Championship winner at Wembley, the 74-year-old Milne was a special guest at the event and saw Penhall end America's 44 year Individual World Championship drought. Though he remained undefeated until his last ride when he only needed to finish 3rd to win the Championship (he finished that race in second behind his rival Kenny Carter), Penhall was forced to work hard for his maiden World Championship. In both Heat 7 and Heat 14 he was second for over 3½ laps behind Ole Olsen and Tommy Knudsen respectively before passing both in the run to the line. Olsen would defeat Knudsen in a runoff for second and third places after both finished on 12 points. The triple World Champion gaining some revenge on his younger countryman after Knudsen had defeated Olsen in the first heat of the meeting.
In Heat 6, Erik Gundersen set a new four lap record of 66.8 seconds for the track and as this was the final speedway meeting at Wembley it will forever be the track record.

## First round
### New Zealand qualification

| Event | Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| South Island Final | 19 Jan | Ruapuna Speedway, Christchurch | Larry Ross | Tony Briggs | Ivan Mauger |
| North Island Final | ? | Awapuni Speedway, Gisborne | Wayne Brown | Colin Farquharson | Martin Weygang |

### Australian qualification

| Event | Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| Southern Zone Final | 16 Jan | Speedway Park, Adelaide | Phil Crump | John Boulger | Mick McKeon |
| Northern Zone Final | 12 Feb | Exhibition Ground, Brisbane | Gary Guglielmi | Neil Coddington | Billy Sanders |

### British qualification

| Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| Preliminary Round |||||
| 7 April | Wessex Stadium, Weymouth | Neil Middleditch | Simon Wigg | Kevin Smith |
| 10 April | East of England Arena, Peterborough | Louis Carr | Kevin Hawkins | Nicky Allott |
| 12 April | Rye House Stadium, Hoddesdon | Keith White | Melvyn Taylor | Bob Garrad |
| 12 April | Boston Sports Stadium, Boston | Steve Lomas | David Gagen | Eric Broadbelt |
| 14 April | Crayford & Bexleyheath Stadium, Crayford | Barry Thomas | Ian Gledhill | Dave Morton |
| Quarter-Final |||||
| 27 April | Brough Park, Newcastle | Eric Broadbelt | Kevin Hawkins | Neil Middleditch |

## Second round
### Continental preliminary round

* Riders progress to Continental quarter-finals
| Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| 25 April | Petišovci Stadium, Lendava | Herbert Szerecz | Alois Wiesböck | Mariusz Okoniewski |
| 26 April | Breitenthal Stadium, Krumbach | Ferenc Farkaš | Jan Verner | Henny Kroeze |
| 26 April | Shumen Motopista, Shumen | Henryk Olszak | Ladislav Hradecky | Andrzej Huszcza |
| 26 April | Speedway Žarnovica, Žarnovica | Waldemar Bacik | Andreas Niedemaier | Kurt Prastbo |

### Australian Final

* 21 February 1981
* Exhibition Ground, Brisbane
* First 8 to Australasian Final
| Pos. | Rider | Total |
| 1 | Billy Sanders | 14 |
| 2 | Phil Crump | 12 |
| 3 | John Titman | 10 |
| 4 | Danny Kennedy | 10 |
| 5 | Phil Herne | 9 |
| 6 | Gary Guglielmi | 8 |
| 7 | Steve Regeling | 8 |
| 8 | Mick McKeon | 8 |
| 9 | John Boulger | 7 |
| 10 | Robert Maxfield | 7 |
| 11 | Steve Koppe | 7 |
| 12 | Neil Coddington | 7 |
| 13 | Tim Nunan | 6 |
| 14 | Bob Chitchcock | 3 |
| 15 | Glenn McDonald | 2 |
| 16 | Lou Sansom | 2 |

### New Zealand Final

* 6 February 1981
* Meeanee Speedway, Napier
* First 8 to Australasian Final
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| 1 | Ivan Mauger | 3,3,3,3,3 | 15 |
| 2 | Mitch Shirra | 3,3,3,3,2 | 14 |
| 3 | Larry Ross | 3,3,2,2,3 | 13 |
| 4 | Wayne Brown | 1,3,3,3,1 | 11 |
| 5 | Mike Fullerton | 2,2,2,1,3 | 10 |
| 6 | David Bargh | 3,2,1,2,2 | 10 |
| 7 | Tony Briggs | 2,2,2,2,1 | 9 |
| 8 | Greame Beardsley | 1,1,3,2,1 | 8 |
| 9 | John Goodall | 0,1,1,3,3 | 8 |
| 10 | Mark Dekok | 2,1,2,0,0 | 5 |
| 11 | Gavin Rhodes | 2,1,1,1,0 | 5 |
| 12 | Greg Joynt | 0,2,1,0,2 | 5 |
| 13 | Max Brown | 1,0,0,0,2 | 3 |
| 14 | Colin Farquharson | 0,0,0,1,1 | 2 |
| 15 | Alan Crosbie | 0,0,0,1,0 | 1 |
| 16 | Patrick Pawson | 1,0,0,0,- | 1 |
| R1 | Bruce Elvey | 0 | 0 |
| R2 | Kym Mauger | ns | 0 |

### Swedish qualification

* Top 8 in each heat to Swedish final
(3 May, Motala Arena, Motala) :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Tommy Nilsson | 14 |
| 2 | Tommy Johansson | 12 |
| 3 | Hans Danielsson | 12 |
| 4 | Lillebror Johansson | 11 |
| 5 | Bo Wirebrand | 10 |
| 6 | Börje Klingberg | 1 |
| 7 | Björn Andersson | 10 |
| 8 | Gert Carlsson | 7+3 |
| 9 | Åke Axelsson | 7+2 |
| 10 | Lars Hammarberg | 6 |
| 11 | Thomas Hydling | 5 |
| 12 | Alf Trofast | 5 |
| 13 | Conny Samuelsson | 4 |
| 14 | Sören Karlsson | 4 |
| 15 | Tommy Steen | 2 |
| 16 | Bengt Gustavsson | 1 |
| 17 | Ulf Blomqvist (res) | 0 |
(8 May, Grevby Motorstadion, Mariestad) :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Anders Michanek | 14 |
| 2 | Bernt Persson | 13 |
| 3 | Karl-Erik Claesson | 12 |
| 4 | Lennart Bengtsson | 12 |
| 5 | Åke Fridell | 11 |
| 6 | Pierre Brannefors | 9 |
| 7 | Lars Rosberg | 8+3 |
| 8 | Richard Hellsén | 8+2 |
| 9 | Uno Johansson | 8+1 |
| 10 | Bengt Jansson | 5 |
| 11 | Sören Brolin | 4 |
| 12 | Anders Eriksson (res) | 4 |
| 13 | Raymond Forsberg | 3 |
| 14 | Börje Ring | 3 |
| 15 | Jan Ericsson | 3 |
| 16 | Lars Ericsson | 1 |
| 17 | Per-Ove Gudmundsson | 1 |
| 18 | Håkan Andersson (res) | 1 |

### British semi-finals

| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Dave Jessup | 13 |
| 2 | Steve Bastable | 13 |
| 3 | Gordon Kennett | 12 |
| 4 | John Davis | 11 |
| 5 | Phil Collins | 11 |
| 6 | Kevin Jolly | 9 |
| 7 | Kevin Smith | 9 |
| 8 | Malcolm Simmons | 9 |
| 9 | Roger Johns | 8 |
| 10 | Bob Garrad | 6 |
| 11 | Paul Woods | 5 |
| 12 | Dave Morton | 4 |
| 13 | Neil Middleditch | 4 |
| 14 | Nigel Flatman | 3 |
| 15 | Andy Grahame | 2 |
| 16 | Alan Molyneux | 0 |
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Les Collins | 14 |
| 2 | Chris Morton | 13 |
| 3 | Kenny Carter | 13 |
| 4 | Michael Lee | 11 |
| 5 | Melvyn Taylor | 11 |
| 6 | John Louis | 9 |
| 7 | Ian Cartwright | 9 |
| 8 | Eric Broadbelt | 8 |
| 9 | Alan Grahame | 7 |
| 10 | Kevin Hawkins | 6 |
| 11 | Jim McMillan | 6 |
| 12 | Joe Owen | 5 |
| 13 | Peter Prinsloo | 3 |
| 14 | Doug Wyer | 3 |
| 15 | Reg Wilson | 2 |
| 16 | Ian Gledhill | 0 |

## Third round
### Continental quarter-finals

Top 32 to Continental semi-finals
| Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| 10 May | Santa Marina Stadium, Lonigo | Henny Kroeze | Georg Hack | Aleš Dryml Sr. |
| 10 May | Breitwangbahn, Bopfingen | Egon Muller | Zenon Plech | Valery Gordeev |
| 10 May | Borsod Volán Stadion, Miskolc | Roman Jankowski | Zdeněk Kudrna | Zoltan Adorjan |
| 10 May | Stadion Wiener Neustadt | Jerzy Rembas | Andrzej Huszcza | Mikhail Starostin |

### Australasian Final

* 28 February 1981
* Liverpool City Raceway, Sydney
* First 4 to Overseas final plus 1 reserve
| Pos. | Rider | Total |
| 1 | Ivan Mauger | 15 |
| 2 | Danny Kennedy | 11+3 |
| 3 | Larry Ross | 11+2 |
| 4 | Phil Herne | 11+1 |
| 5 | Billy Sanders | 10+3 |
| 6 | Phil Crump | 10+2 |
| 7 | Gary Guglielmi | 9 |
| 8 | Mitch Shirra | 8 |
| 9 | John Titman | 7 |
| 10 | Mick McKeon | 7 |
| 11 | Tony Briggs | 6 |
| 12 | Wayne Brown | 5 |
| 13 | David Bargh | 2 |
| 14 | Steve Regeling | 2 |
| 15 | Mike Fullerton | 1 |
| 16 | Graeme Beardsley | 1 |
| 17 | Robert Maxfield (res) | 1 |

### American Final

* 30 May 1981
* Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles
* First 4 to Overseas final
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
| | (1) Bruce Penhall | 15 | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 15 | 1 | |
| | (9) Dennis Sigalos | 13 | | | 3 | | 1 | | | | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | 13 | 2 | 3 |
| | (3) Kelly Moran | 13 | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | 13 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | (5) Scott Autrey | 10 | | 2 | | | 0 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 3 | 10 | 4 | 3 |
| 5 | (16) Shawn Moran | 10 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | 2 | | | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| 6 | (13) Alan Christian | 10 | | | | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | 1 | | 10 | 6 | 1 |
| 7 | (15) Denny Pyeatt | 10 | | | | 2 | | | 2 | | | 2 | | | | | | 2 | 2 | | | | 10 | 7 | 0 |
| 8 | (2) Mike Faria | 8 | 0 | | | | | 3 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | 8 | 8 | |
| 9 | (8) Bobby Schwartz | 7 | | 3 | | | | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | 1 | | | | 7 | 9 | |
| 10 | (11) Steve Gresham | 7 | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 2 | 7 | 10 | |
| 11 | (6) David De Temple | 6 | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | 0 | | | | | | | 1 | | | 2 | | 6 | 11 | |
| 12 | (4) Brad Oxley | 4 | 1 | | | | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | 4 | 12 | |
| 13 | (14) Keith Chrisco | 4 | | | | 0 | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | 2 | | | | | | | 1 | 4 | 13 | |
| 14 | (10) Steve Columbo | 1 | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | 1 | 14 | |
| 15 | (12) Jefrey Tomlin | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | 0 | 15 | |
| 16 | (7) Dubb Ferrell | 0 | | 0 | | | | | F | | | | | - | - | | | | | - | | | 0 | 16 | |
| R1 | (R1) Bobby McLain | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 0 | | | 1 | R1 |
| R2 | (R2) Dan McConnell | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | 1 | R2 |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify
| gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |

### British Final

* 3 June 1981
* Brandon Stadium, Coventry
* First 8 to Overseas final plus 1 reserve
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
| | (3) Steve Bastable | 13 | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | 13 | 1 | 3 |
| | (2) Kenny Carter | 13 | 3 | | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | 13 | 2 | 2 |
| | (5) John Louis | 13 | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 3 | 13 | 3 | 1 |
| 4 | (4) Les Collins | 12 | 1 | | | | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | 12 | 4 | |
| 5 | (10) Chris Morton | 10 | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | | | 2 | | | 1 | | 1 | | | | 10 | 5 | |
| 6 | (6) Dave Jessup | 9 | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | | | 3 | | 9 | 6 | |
| 7 | (16) Michael Lee | 8 | | | | 3 | | | | 1 | 3 | | | | | | 0 | | | 1 | | | 8 | 7 | |
| 8 | (15) Ian Cartwright | 7 | | | | 2 | | | 0 | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | 3 | | | | 7 | 8 | |
| 9 | (13) Malcolm Simmons | 6 | | | | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | 1 | | 3 | | | | | 0 | | 6 | 9 | 3 |
| 10 | (11) Eric Broadbelt | 6 | | | 0 | | | | 2 | | 2 | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | 6 | 10 | 2 |
| 11 | (9) Phil Collins | 6 | | | 2 | | 0 | | | | | | 2 | | | | | 0 | | 2 | | | 6 | 11 | 1 |
| 12 | (7) Melvyn Taylor | 5 | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | 3 | | | | | 0 | | | 5 | 12 | |
| 13 | (1) John Davis | 5 | - | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 5 | 13 | |
| 14 | (12) Gordon Kennett | 5 | | | 1 | | | | | 2 | | 0 | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | 5 | 14 | |
| 15 | (14) Kevin Smith | 2 | | | | 1 | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | 0 | | | | | | | 0 | 2 | 15 | |
| 16 | (8) Kevin Jolly | 0 | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | 0 | 16 | |
| R1 | (R1) Keith White | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R1 |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify
| gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |

### Norwegian Final

* 26 April 1981
* Elgane Speedway, Varhaug
* First 2 to Nordic final
| Pos. | Rider | Total |
| 1 | Rolf Gramstad | 15 |
| 2 | Audun Ove Olsen | 13 |
| 3 | Jorn Haufvalstad | 12 |
| 4 | Trond Helge Skretting | 11 |
| 5 | Dag Haaland | 10 |
| 6 | Ingve Madland | 9 |
| 7 | Terje Tollefsen | 7 |
| 8 | Kurt Ueland | 7 |
| 9 | Geir Aasland | 7 |
| 10 | Roy Otto | 6 |
| 11 | Asgeir Bjerga | 6 |
| 12 | Dagfin Jorgensen | 5 |
| 13 | Sigvart Pedersen | 5 |
| 14 | Kjell Gimre | 5 |
| 15 | Rolf Havirstad | 2 |
| 16 | Oddmund Bye | 0 |

### Danish Final

* 10 May 1981
* Fjelsted Speedway Stadium, Harndrup
* First 6 to Nordic final
| Pos. | Rider | Total |
| 1 | Ole Olsen | 15 |
| 2 | Bo Petersen | 13 |
| 3 | Erik Gundersen | 12+3 |
| 4 | Tommy Knudsen | 12+2 |
| 5 | Hans Nielsen | 12+1 |
| 6 | Jens Henry Nielsen | 8+3 |
| 7 | Finn Thomsen | 8+2 |
| 8 | Preben Eriksen | 8+1 |
| 9 | Finn Rune Jensen | 7 |
| 10 | Mikael Lohmann | 7 |
| 11 | Bent Rasmussen | 5 |
| 12 | Steen Mastrup | 5 |
| 13 | Hans Ove Christiansen | 4 |
| 14 | Bent Juul Larsen | 3 |
| 15 | Svend Lund | 0 |
| 16 | Klaus Lohman | 0 |
| R1 | Finn Lundahl | 1 |

### Finland Final

* Pippo Speedway, Lahti
* 7 September 1980, top 2 (+1 seeded rider) to 1981 Nordic final
| Pos. | Rider | Total |
| 1 | Kai Niemi | 15 |
| 2 | Ari Koponen | 14 |
| 3 | Veijo Tuoriniemi | 12 |
| 4 | Olli Tyrvainen | 10 |
| 5 | Veli Pekka Kunelius | 10 |
| 6 | Ilkka Teromaa | 9 |
| 7 | Pekka Hautamaki | 8 |
| 8 | Timo Kiansten | 7 |
| 9 | Markku Parkkari | 7 |
| 10 | Ossi Henriksson | 6 |
| 11 | Veikko Haapamaki | 6 |
| 12 | Hannu Larronmaa | 5 |
| 13 | Pekka Turkia | 4 |
| 14 | Markku Haapala | 3 |
| 15 | Ari Heinonen | 1 |
| 16 | Kari Yrjanainen (res) | 1 |
| 17 | Jarmo Puttonen (res) | 1 |
| 18 | Seppo Palomaki | 1 |
| 19 | Heimo Kaikko (res) | 0 |

### Swedish Final

* 17 May 1981
* Gislaved Motorbana, Gislaved
* First 4 to Nordic final, Jan Andersson seeded to Nordic final
| Pos. | Rider | Total |
| 1 | Anders Michanek | 12 |
| 2 | Tommy Nilsson | 11+3 |
| 3 | Hans Danielsson | 11+2 |
| 4 | Bernt Persson | 11+1 |
| 5 | Bo Wirebrand | 10+3 |
| 6 | Börje Klingberg | 10+2 |
| 7 | Richard Hellsén | 9 |
| 8 | Björn Andersson | 8 |
| 9 | Lennart Bengtsson | 7 |
| 10 | Tommy Johansson | 7 |
| 11 | Pierre Brannefors | 6 |
| 12 | Åke Fridell | 6 |
| 13 | Gerd Carlsson | 4 |
| 14 | Lars Rosberg | 4 |
| 15 | Lillebror Johansson | 3 |
| 16 | Karl-Erik Claesson | 1 |

## Fourth round
### Continental semi-finals

| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Zenon Plech | 12 |
| 2 | Georg Hack | 12 |
| 3 | Milan Špinka | 11 |
| 4 | Valerij Gordeev | 11 |
| 5 | Jiří Štancl | 11 |
| 6 | Aleš Dryml Sr. | 9 |
| 7 | Egon Müller | 9 |
| 8 | Waldemar Bacik | 8+3 |
| 9 | Jan Verner | 8+2 |
| 10 | Jan Hadek | 7 |
| 11 | George Gilgenreiner (res) | 5 |
| 12 | Josef Aigner | 4 |
| 13 | Christoph Betzl | 4 |
| 14 | Henny Kroeze | 4 |
| 15 | Anatolij Maximov | 3 |
| 16 | Viktor Kuznetsov | 1 |
| 17 | Piotr Pyszny | 0 |
| 18 | Wolfgang Mayr | 0 |
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Edward Jancarz | 11 |
| 2 | Jerzy Rembas | 11 |
| 3 | Zdenek Kudrna | 11 |
| 4 | Roman Jankowski | 10 |
| 5 | Marek Kepa | 10 |
| 6 | Petr Kucera | 10 |
| 7 | Grigory Khlinovsky | 10 |
| 8 | Marek Towalski | 9+3 |
| 9 | Henryk Olszak | 9+2 |
| 10 | Alois Wiesböck | 7 |
| 11 | Michail Starostin | 6 |
| 12 | Andrzej Huszcza | 4 |
| 13 | Pavel Khlynovski | 3 |
| 14 | Václav Verner | 2 |
| 15 | Heinrich Schatzer | 2 |
| 16 | Jozsef Sziraczki | 1 |

### Overseas Final

* 12 July 1981
* White City Stadium, London
* First 10 to Intercontinental final plus 1 reserve
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
| | (14) Dave Jessup | 13 | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | | | 1 | 13 | 1 | |
| | (7) Chris Morton | 11 | | 2 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 3 | 2 | | | | | 3 | | | 11 | 2 | |
| | (9) Bruce Penhall | 10 | | | 3 | | 2 | | | | | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | X | | | 10 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | (13) Kelly Moran | 10 | | | | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | 10 | 4 | 2 |
| 5 | (15) Dennis Sigalos | 10 | | | | 2 | | | 2 | | | 3 | | | | | | 1 | 2 | | | | 10 | 5 | 1 |
| 6 | (11) Larry Ross | 9 | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 0 | 9 | 6 | |
| 7 | (10) John Louis | 9 | | | 0 | | | 1 | | | | | | 2 | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | 9 | 7 | |
| 8 | (4) Michael Lee | 9 | 2 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | 0 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | 9 | 8 | |
| 9 | (16) Kenny Carter | 8 | | | | 0 | | | | 3 | 1 | | | | | | 2 | | | 2 | | | 8 | 9 | |
| 10 | (5) Ivan Mauger | 8 | | 3 | | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 2 | 8 | 10 | |
| 11 | (1) Les Collins | 7 | 3 | | | | 0 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 7 | 11 | |
| 12 | (8) Steve Bastable | 6 | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | 3 | | | 0 | | | | 6 | 12 | |
| 13 | (6) Ian Cartwright | 4 | | 0 | | | | 2 | | | 0 | | | | | | | 0 | | | 2 | | 4 | 13 | |
| 14 | (2) Scott Autrey | 4 | 1 | | | | | 0 | | | | 2 | | | | 0 | | | | 1 | | | 4 | 14 | |
| 15 | (12) Danny Kennedy | 2 | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | | 2 | 15 | |
| 16 | (3) Phil Herne | 0 | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | E | | 0 | 16 | |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify
| gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |

### Nordic Final

* 2 June 1981
* Norrköping Motorstadion, Norrköping
* First 6 to Intercontinental final plus 1 reserve
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| 1 | Tommy Knudsen | 3,3,3,3,3 | 15 |
| 2 | Hans Nielsen | 2,3,3,2,3 | 13 |
| 3 | Ole Olsen | 2,3,2,3,2 | 12 |
| 4 | Preben Eriksen | 3,2,2,2,3 | 12 |
| 5 | Jan Andersson | 3,2,1,3,2 | 11 |
| 6 | Erik Gundersen | 2,1,3,3,1 | 10+3 |
| 7 | Bo Petersen | 3,3,0,2,2 | 10+ns |
| 8 | Kai Niemi | 1,1,1,2,3 | 8 |
| 9 | Ari Koponen | E,0,2,1,2 | 5 |
| 10 | Tommy Nilsson | 1,1,2,1,0 | 5 |
| 11 | Hans Danielsson | 1,2,0,1,1 | 5 |
| 12 | Audun Ove Olsen | 1,1,1,1,0 | 4 |
| 13 | Rolf Gramstad | E,2,1,0,1 | 4 |
| 14 | Bernt Persson | 0,F,3,0,- | 3 |
| 15 | Anders Michanek | 2,0,-,-,- | 2 |
| 16 | Pekka Hautamäki | F,0,0,0,1 | 1 |
| 17 | Finn Thomsen (Res) | 0,0 | 0 |
| 18 | Bo Wirebrand (Res) | 0,0 | 0 |

## Fifth round
### Continental Final

* 25 July 1981
* Marketa Stadium, Prague
* First 5 to World final plus 1 reserve
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| 1 | Egon Müller | 3,3,3,3,X | 12+2+3 |
| 2 | Aleš Dryml Sr. | 3,0,3,3,3 | 12+3+2 |
| 3 | Edward Jancarz | 3,2,2,2,3 | 12+2+1 |
| 4 | Jiří Štancl | 2,3,2,3,2 | 12+2+0 |
| 5 | Zenon Plech | 2,3,3,3,1 | 12+E+E |
| 6 | Henryk Olszak | 2,1,2,1,3 | 9+3 |
| 7 | Jan Verner | 0,2,3,2,2 | 9+2 |
| 8 | Marek Kepa | 3,1,1,2,1 | 8 |
| 9 | Roman Jankowski | 1,3,1,1,0 | 6 |
| 10 | Zdeněk Kudrna | 1,1,0,1,3 | 6 |
| 11 | Milan Špinka | 0,2,2,2,- | 6 |
| 12 | Petr Kucera | 2,0,X,1,2 | 5 |
| 13 | Waldemar Bacik | 0,1,1,0,1 | 3 |
| 14 | Marek Towalski | 0,2,0,0,0 | 2 |
| 15 | Georg Hack | 1,X,F,0,- | 1 |
| 16 | Valery Gordeev | 1,0,0,0,0 | 1 |
| R1 | Petr Ondrašík | 0,2 | 2 |
| R2 | Antonín Kasper, Jr. | 1 | 1 |

### Intercontinental Final

* 25 July 1981
* Vojens Speedway Center, Vojens
* First 11 to World final plus 1 reserve
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
| | (14) Bruce Penhall | 15 | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | | | 3 | 15 | 1 | |
| | (10) Erik Gundersen | 12 | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | | 1 | | 3 | | | | 12 | 2 | |
| | (4) Hans Nielsen | 11 | 3 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | 11 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | (8) Kenny Carter | 11 | | 3 | | | | | | 1 | | | 2 | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | 11 | 4 | 2 |
| 5 | (16) Dave Jessup | 10 | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | | | 0 | | | 3 | | | 10 | 5 | |
| 6 | (15) Tommy Knudsen | 9 | | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | 2 | | | | | | 3 | 1 | | | | 9 | 6 | |
| 7 | (3) Michael Lee | 8 | 1 | | | | | | 3 | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | | | | F | | 8 | 7 | |
| 8 | (5) Jan Andersson | 8 | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 1 | 8 | 8 | |
| 9 | (11) Chris Morton | 8 | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | | 0 | 8 | 9 | |
| 10 | (12) Larry Ross | 7 | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | 1 | | | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | 7 | 10 | |
| 11 | (2) Ole Olsen | 6 | 2 | | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | 6 | 11 | |
| 12 | (13) Preben Eriksen | 5 | | | | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | 1 | | F | | | | | 2 | | 5 | 12 | |
| 13 | (9) Ivan Mauger | 4 | | | 0 | | 3 | | | | | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | 0 | | | 4 | 13 | |
| 14 | (7) John Louis | 4 | | 2 | | | | | 0 | | | | | 0 | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | 4 | 14 | |
| 15 | (6) Dennis Sigalos | 1 | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | 1 | | | | | | | 0 | | | F | | 1 | 15 | |
| 16 | (1) Kelly Moran | 0 | F | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | E | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | 16 | |
| R1 | (R1) Bo Petersen | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R1 |
| R2 | (R2) Les Collins | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R2 |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify
| gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |

## World Final

* 5 September 1981
* Wembley Stadium, London.
* Referee: Sam Bass
* Attendance: 92,500
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos |
| 1 | (11) Bruce Penhall | 14 | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | | | | | 2 | 14 | 1 |
| 2 | (3) Ole Olsen | 12+3 | 2 | | | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | 12 | 2 |
| 3 | (2) Tommy Knudsen | 12+2 | 3 | | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | 12 | 3 |
| 4 | (10) Erik Gundersen | 11 | | | 2 | | | 3 | | | | | | 0 | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | 11 | 4 |
| 5 | (5) Kenny Carter | 11 | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | | | | e | | | | | 3 | 11 | 5 |
| 6 | (12) Jan Andersson | 9 | | | 1 | | | | | 2 | | 1 | | | 3 | | | | | | 2 | | 9 | 6 |
| 7 | (7) Egon Müller | 9 | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 3 | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | 9 | 7 |
| 8 | (16) Dave Jessup | 7 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | e | | | | | | e | | | 1 | | | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | (15) Hans Nielsen | 6 | | | | 2 | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | 2 | 2 | | | | 6 | 9 |
| 10 | (9) Michael Lee | 5 | | | 0 | | 3 | | | | | | 2 | | | | | 0 | | f | | | 5 | 10 |
| 11 | (8) Chris Morton | 5 | | 2 | | | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | | 5 | 11 |
| 12 | (1) Edward Jancarz | 5 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 5 | 12 |
| 13 | (4) Larry Ross | 4 | 0 | | | | | | | t | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | | | | 0 | 4 | 13 |
| 14 | (13) Aleš Dryml Sr. | 3 | | | | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | 2 | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | 3 | 14 |
| 15 | (6) Zenon Plech | 3 | | f | | | | 0 | | | 2 | | | | | | | 1 | | | 0 | | 3 | 15 |
| 16 | (14) Jiří Štancl | 3 | | | | 1 | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | | | 1 | 3 | 16 |
| Res | (17) Henryk Olszak | 0 | | | | | | | | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | Res |
| Res | (18) Preben Eriksen | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | Res |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos |
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify
| gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |